KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — The Health Ministry is requesting more funding due to spiralling medical supply prices that have risen threefold in some cases, said Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said these included items such as medicines, medicinal gases, vaccines, reagents, and other consumables.
“This is the main reason there was a need for additional allocation, also due to the increase in prices in the global market,” Dzulkefly told the Parliament during his winding up of the debate on the Supplementary Supply Bill (2023) 2024 today.
The Health Ministry was allocated RM49 billion under the federal budget, but is requesting an increase of RM572 million.
Of the amount, the minister said RM100 million was for wage adjustments and RM116 million was needed for hospital operations.
He explained that during the time Pharmaniaga Berhad’s concession contract had lapsed, the Health Ministry procured some pharmaceutical products through open tender and requests for quotations.
“Pharmaceutical products that were removed from Approved Products Purchase List (APPL) following Pharmaniaga’s concession contract expiry last June — there was period whereby the concession had expired — (pharmaceutical products) saw an increase in its price by five times higher as (the ministry) had to procure them through open tender or quotation.
“Both the methods saw an increase in price between 200 and 300 per cent. That is why I say it was not anticipated (in the last Budget allocation),” he said.
Among other items Dzulkefly said which saw an increase in price were oral rehydration salt (ORS) whereby its cost alone went up by 140 per cent, steroid inhaler by 50 per cent, medication for tuberculosis (TB) by 300 per cent and vaccine for Hepatitis B went up by 200 per cent.
